


He wears his heart on his sleeve

by ObeyDontStray



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: assorted ficlets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:33:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25323187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObeyDontStray/pseuds/ObeyDontStray
Summary: Various ficlets from prompts. All Jopper centered.
Relationships: Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper
Kudos: 17





	1. Something Stupid

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter is inspired by the song 'Something Stupid' by Frank and Nancy Sinatra. 
> 
> What would have happened if Joyce hadn't stood up Hopper on the date he planned?

Something Stupid

Joyce looked beautiful. She had severely underdressed for the fanciest restaurant in Hawkins and he could tell her nervousness as she held her hands in her lap, taking darting looks around the room. 

"What are you thinking about so hard?" He said, a sweet look on his face as he gazed at her. 

She had worn her best sweater, he remembered her saying that once when she went to Benny's funeral. She was dressed in dark colors, a shirt the color of a purple bruise beneath the black sweater.  
But the color in her big brown eyes sparkled and shown in the candlelight, like a tiger's eye stone. 

"I've never been here. I didn't know how to dress." She said lowly, eyes centering on him. Hop noticed that she wore a bit of makeup. Dark eyeliner and light eyeshadow around her eyes. His eyes lingered a little too long at her lips because when he looked up at her eyes, she looked at him with a hint of something in her eyes. Something he couldn't quite read. Disappointment?

"I uh...I'm sorry if this is uncomfortable. This is the fanciest place I could think of." 

Joyce looked down at the floor. "I think I'm going to visit the ladies' room. I'll be right back." She said before she stood and took her leave. 

Jim sighed and looked down into his glass of wine, eyes glancing up at her's, seeing that it had not been touched. What had he done? She was clearly not enjoying this. He hoped that their good would come soon, so they could eat a bite and ask for doggy bags. Just get this awkward exchange over. 

When she returned he couldn't stop staring at her. She had removed the sweater to reveal that the dark purple blouse was shoulder less. She had piled her hair into a messy bun at the back of her head and clasped a dainty silver chain with a cross around her neck. His attention lingered on her lips again, now colored with a matte peach. It looked beautiful on her. 

"Hey, you look beautiful." He said, looking directly at her eyes. Their eyes met briefly, her eyes searching his, before they lowered again to her wine glass. 

"Hey hey, what's wrong?" He asked. 

"I don't know how to feel about this. Being here with you. I don't know how I feel about you." She admitted and he sighed slightly. "If you don't, that's fine. No rush. I just...you know how I felt in highschool, and that hasn't changed. I love you, Joycie."

Joyce blinked several times as she took in what he had just said before they locked eyes. "I uh...I don't know if I can return that feeling, Hop."

His face fell and he immediately felt stupid. "Yeah, pretty stupid of me to say that." He said before he picked up his wine glass and took a swig. 

"No, Hop. It's not stupid. I just, I don't know how to feel. We've been friends, then we fell out of friendship, then all this mess brought us together. I just feel like between our mutual bad luck, I'll loose you forever, and I don't know if I can handle it." 

Just in time to stop his comment, the waiter came through to deliver their food. Hopper watched her as the waiter.dispersed food and filled his wine glass. "Actually, can we get two to go plates? I'm sorry not to stay, but something has come up."

Soon Hopper was downing the glass of wine that was left and then hers, grabbing her glass and downing it too. 

She had driven herself to meet him, under her own insistance, and as she watched Hopper weave and bob his way to his truck, she insisted she drive him home. 

After he was folded up into her car he fell into a drunken sleep. His cheek smashed against the window beside him as he snored.

Joyce sighed, stealing a glance at him. 

This whole situation was stupid. Why did he have to go and say something stupid like 'I love you'?


	2. How to Save a Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ficlet inspired by 'How to Save a Life' by the Fray. Prepare for angst! Takes place after Hopper's death.

"Jim, I just need to talk. Sit please." Joyce said to him, patting the seat beside her. He sat down next to her and gave her one of those wistful smiles that reminded her of those smiles he gave her so long ago. She couldn't help but see right through it to the hurt he held in his eyes. 

They talk lowly and she listens. She apologizes, he does as well, but she knows it was him that was hurt the most. 

Outside of the cafe, Joyce glanced at their reflections in the window. He nods at her as a goodbye, and she watches as he turns to leave. There were apologies and amendments and forgiveness, but somehow it all felt so hollow. Why did she come anyway? 

Joyce rolled over in her sleep and roused from her sleep. She realized what had happened and sighed. If dreams was the only way she could see him anymore, then why were things always so tense? She'd give anything to be happy with him. She stared into the mirror on her dresser, hoping against hope that one night she'd see the outline of his form in the dark corner of her room where the moonlight did not reach. 

Where did things go wrong? How did they end up in that position? Since they found Will together, she had trouble imagining a life without Hopper in it. Yet, here she was. And no one knew that it was she herself who killed him. 

"You can come home, you know. You can. You're not gone forever." She tells him. He smiles at her and shakes his head. "You know better, Joycie." 

The morning daylight awakens her again, and she discovers that her pillow is wet, her nose stuffed from crying. Nothing new. 

As Joyce showered her mind clicked through their last bit of time together. Every mean thing she said. When she stood him up that night. 

"Oh God, Hopper. I'm so sorry." She said lowly, going the sound of the shower would cover the sobs erupting from her throat. She prayed wherever he was, that he could hear her. Would God hear her and just send him back?

There's no body to send back.

El is crying again, huddled up in her bed with her knees drawn to her chest. She's sobbing so hard she can't get a word out, but Joyce knows the weight on the teenager's chest. 

Joyce hugs her close, buried her nose in El's hair, something she had seen him do a million times. "Hopper!" El sobs and Joyce's heart aches for the girl as she again feels those thin metal keys in her hands again. She ended a life and ruined countless others. "I know baby, I know." Is all Joyce can offer.

Will is angry, and when he's angry, flashes of Lonnie show up. He has such a hair trigger temper these days, the smallest things set him off. He scares Joyce but not El, she stands steadfast in the face of his fury and brings him down everytime. Now towering over her, with that face that looks so much like Lonnie, Joyce's heart twists in her chest. 

There's so many times she should have held onto Hopper. What if she had held steadfast after highschool? Would she see Hopper's face in Will's now if she had married Jim and not Lonnie? 

Thankfully Lonnie had not come around to gloat about Hopper's death. She's not sure what she would have done if he had. 

She snapped to attention when there was the sound of glass smashing against the wall. She saw where the glittering pieces of a glass lying on the floor. 

"Will!" She clammered going over to her son and reached up to take his face in her hands. 

The phone began ringing but no one dared to go answer it for fear of setting Will off again. 

"Baby, baby I know. Please, just calm down!" She cried as she pulled his chest to her. 

"Joyce...I have to talk to you." Came Murray's voice over the answering machine. "Joyce please, it's about Hop."

Joyce dashed to the phone on the wall, barely registering the sliver of glass that imbedded itself in her heel. 

"Murray!" She exclaimed, grabbing the phone. 

"Joyce, he's alive! I know where he is!"


	3. Can't Take My Eyes Off You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From the song Can't Take my Eyes Off You by Fankie Vallie

Two weeks of dating and she barely even touched him. There had been a few peckish kisses, hugs, and even a little hand holding. He didn’t exactly know what he was expecting after two weeks but hell. After making drive-in news back in highschool and all that they had been through in recent years....after his big dramatic confession of love. Yet here they sat, sitting at what felt six feet apart on her couch with her hands tucked shyly between her knees. He sighed and got up and made his way to her record player. 

“God, you kept all of these?” He mumbled as he flipped through her collection. “You know I got this one when I was like a baby, right?” He joked. “Ah, this’ll do!” He put the record on and reached out for her hand. 

“C’mon, loosen up. Dance with me.” She looked up at him with those beautiful big dark eyes. “C’mon, you’re sitting there like you’re scared of me. Remember how we used to tear up that dance floor back in our high school dances? I know you still got it in ya!” He grinned and began moving in his hips, much like he did to El’s chagrin whenever he needed to make her laugh.

She smiled at him and hopped up, taking his hand as the first few beats of ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’ began playing. “Ah yeah, a classic!” He chuckled as they began dancing, swinging around each other in rhythm, lifting his arm as he twirled her around. Her giggle was infectious and he laughed along with her. 

“Look at you Jim! You still know how to move those hips!” She teased as she reached out to playfully pinch his love handles and make him grin. He kissed her nose when it crinkled with her joyous laugh. 

He took her hand and drew her close to his chest, rocking them back and forth with the music. 

"You're just too good to be true, can't keep my eyes off of you." He sang. "You still can't sing!" She teased. "Yeah, but if you mean the words, that's good enough, right?" 

She smiled up at her and grabbed the collar of his shirt to pull him down. "What?" He said before she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him solidly. 

"It's about time you kissed me like you meant it." He teased. 

She took his hand and lead him to the couch where she pushed him back. "Lay down!" 

He grinned in anticipation as she crawled over him, lying on his side against the couch. 

"Better!" She teased, eye to eye with him finally before she began kissing him. 

He kissed back eagerly, excited at the idea that they were finally picking up.

When she pulled back, his brows furrowed when she stopped to look at him. "What? What did I do?"

She shook her head at him and smiled. "You're so handsome. I don't know how I strayed so far so long, you're too good to be true."


End file.
